Pistons rookie to miss start of season with lower leg injury

DETROIT — Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed that rookie Bobi Klintman will be sidelined to start the 2024-25 season.

Klintman missed the entire preseason with a calf contusion and has yet to participate in full-contact basketball activities.

"We think it will be a little bit of time, but the medical group will talk about that more in depth," Bickerstaff told reporters on Friday.

Klintman, whom the Pistons acquired via a draft trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was a standout during the NBA Summer League. In five games, he averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in nearly 30 minutes per outing.

The Swedish-born Klintman also showcased his ability to help with Detroit's spacing, shooting 42% from beyond the arc.

Bickerstaff detailed the frustration of having a young player like Klintman deal with an early injury as he aims to establish himself in his first year, stating it puts Klintman "behind the eight ball a little bit."

However, he emphasized it's on him and his coaching staff to ensure they do what's necessary to prepare the 6-foot-10 forward for when he's ready to hit the floor.

"As a coaching staff, we have to do more to help him," Bickerstaff said. "He's a really smart kid. When we're going through stuff, he sits close so he can pick up things. He's asking questions as we're going. We have film and things like that that we can work with him on.

"But getting the reps is what really, really matters, especially when you're transitioning from the college level or the European level to the NBA. You just need those reps. But again, we'll do our best to help him. And he's a smart kid who picks up things quickly, so we expect him to get it pretty fast."

Last year, Klintman played for the Cairns Taipans of the Australian National Basketball League. The year before, he spent a season at Wake Forest, where he averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 33 games (five starts) while shooting 36.8% from three-point range.